Bulgarian Court Expected to Hand Down Verdict Today in Case of Anti-jewish War Criminals

The section of the Peoples’ Court hearing the case of several officials of the former pro-Nazi regime charged with persecution of Jews is expected to hand down its verdict tomorrow, it was reported here today.

The two chief prosecutors delivered their summations on Thursday, asking death for the former Commissar of Jewish Affairs, Alexander Belev and ten to fifteen years imprisonment for the other defendants, who are, in the main, minor officials. Belev is being tried in absentia, as his whereabouts are not known, and it is believed he may have been killed during the coup d’etat of September 9.

An article dealing with the revival of Jewish cooperatives in Bulgaria, appearing in the organ of the National Committee of Bulgarian Cooperatives, points out that before the introduction of anti-Jewish laws, there were 18 Jewish cooperative loan societies in Bulgaria, which, over a period of 20 years, advanced 200,000 lavas to factories and other enterprises.

It discloses that efforts are being made to unite the remnants of these institutions into one body which could assist in the re-establishment of Jewish enterprises, especially cooperatives. The article says that such a central body could do effective work, but will require assistance from Jewish institutions abroad.